Australian Simulation Piper Warrior – Aircraft Control...

Australian Simulation Piper Warrior – Aircraft Control Panel

Contents Program Overview ...............................................................................................................3 Using the program ...............................................................................................................4

First Run .......................................................................................................................4 Model Selection ............................................................................................................5 Navigation.....................................................................................................................5 Home Page...................................................................................................................6 Options page ................................................................................................................7 Load Editor ...................................................................................................................8 Textures........................................................................................................................9

Program Version and Updates...........................................................................................12 Getting Help.......................................................................................................................12

Display issues.............................................................................................................13

Copyright © 2007 Australian Simulation – All rights reserved. Page 2 of 13


Program Overview The Aircraft Control panel is a stand alone application (meaning that it runs independently of the parent simulator program) which allows you to customise your Australian Simulation Piper Warrior for flight simulator. There are four main areas in the program that allow you to edit various aspects of the aircraft to suit your preferences, and easily manage downloaded texture/skins sets. The key functions of the program are:

• Control options for both Warrior II and Warrior III All changes can be made to either version of the Piper Warrior individually. This is not a “one size fits all” application. Use the drop down list on the top of any screen to change to the Warrior version you wish to edit.

• Customise 3D model display options. You can change various options for the 3D model display such as hiding the yokes in the Virtual Cockpit, displaying various wheel cover configurations etc… You can also control what is and is not displayed when the aircraft is parked.

• Adjust the weight loaded into each area of the aircraft. To simulate how you fly the Piper Warrior in the real world, we’ve allowed you to alter the flying characteristics of the aircraft by entering realistic loads into each section of the aircraft.

• Add new or edit existing texture sets. With the Aircraft control panel, managing your repaints or downloaded texture sets has never been easier. The program allows you to quickly add new skins, or edit existing ones in just a few mouse clicks. Each add-on skin should ship with a few extra files that show that particular repaint in its best possible light via the included screenshot viewer.



Using the program

First Run When you first launch the Aircraft Control Panel, you will be prompted to enter your name and serial number. This information is not transmitted to Australian Simulation or any other party.

Figure 1.0 – First run

If you fail to enter a valid serial number, you will not be able to proceed. Please ensure you enter the serial number exactly as you received it (example: nnnn-nnnn-nnnn-nnnn where n = number). Once a valid name and serial number is detected, the OK button will become enabled. After the OK button becomes enabled, click it to proceed.



Model Selection Along the title bar of the program you’ll see 3 main areas. At the extreme left you’ll see the current program version number. At the extreme right you’ll see the familiar minimise/close buttons. To the left of these you will find the Model selection control. This is a simple drop down list that allows selection of either the Warrior II or Warrior III aircraft type. Making a change here is global, meaning that for every change saved, from anywhere in the program will save the changes to the selected aircraft type. The program will remember your last selection and load the same model selection next time the program starts. Figure 1.1 – Model Selection

Navigation Navigating around the program is very simple. We have kept the number of pages to a minimum so as to make the program very fast and easy to use. Simply click on the tab you wish to use. Visual feedback is given when your mouse hovers over one of these tabs (tab illuminates) and the tab will appear to be in front when its page is loaded.

Figure 1.2 – Navigation bar



Home Page Each time the program loads, it will start on the “Home Page”. This page provides access to the various help documents as well as internet links to various parts of the Australian Simulation web server to ensure you get the latest extensions and stay informed about the Piper Warrior.

Figure 1.3 – Home screen

Use the labels the same way as you would use hyperlinks in your web browser. Visual feedback is given when your mouse moves over a link in the form of an arrow. When your mouse moves over a link, the bullet adjacent to it will turn from a box to an arrow. All mouse areas also feature “Tooltips” which indicate exactly what clicking the mouse on that spot will do.



Options pageThe options page allows you to set various options and preferences for your Piper Warrior. These options are broken down into two groups, General options and Parking Options. The parking options are only noticeable when the aircraft is parked and completely shut down (engine and ignition off, all electrical switches off, fuel selector off, handbrake on etc)

General Options

• Display pilot’s hat When selected, the pilot figure in the selected Warrior version will be wearing a cap.

• Display yokes in VC Controls visibility of yokes in the VC. When hidden, you’ll have an unobstructed view of some gauges and controls making virtual flying a little more convenient.

• Display nose wheel cover Select to display covered, or uncovered nose wheel.

• Display main wheel covers Controls display of the main gear wheel fairings.

Parking Options

• Allow rain cover.

Determines if rain cover should appear when aircraft is shut down/parked. • Allow tie down ropes.

Controls display of tie down ropes when aircraft is shut down/parked. • Allow pilot toggle.

When selected, the pilot figure is automatically hidden when aircraft is completely shut down. The pilot will re-appear as soon as any shut down condition is not met.

When changes are made to any of these settings, the “Save” button will become enabled. This is another visual cue that you have made changes to the previous settings.

Figure 1.4 – Options screen



Load EditorThe load editor allows you to quickly and easily adjust the payload of each section of the aircraft. Adjusting the various slider bars for Pilot (top/left) passengers and cargo will affect the way the aircraft handles in Flight Simulator. All weight information is displayed in real time in the “Weight and Balance” panel. You also have the option of setting/viewing weight information in either imperial (pounds) or metric (kilograms) measurement systems. When changes are detected, the “Save” button will become enabled. Note: When an overweight condition is detected, the weight and balance information will turn red and flash as a warning. The weight and balance panel will also calculate in real time, the allowable fuel load for the aircraft. The more weight you load on board, the less fuel you’ll be able to carry, so keep an eye on the “Allowable fuel” reading and set your fuel levels in Flight Simulator accordingly.

Figure 1.5 – Load Editor



Textures This screen enables you to view, add new or edit existing texture or skins sets for your Piper Warrior. When this screen loads, it checks for all the skins associated with the selected Warrior version and populates the “Aircraft List” with all skin sets found. Clicking on an entry in this list will show a thumbnail image of that particular texture or skin set*. Clicking on this thumbnail will show a new window with a larger picture of that texture set*.

Figure 1.6 – Textures screen

*Screenshots and thumbnail images will only be available if one was provided with the download as per the “Aussim PWv2 paint kit” specifications. Each texture folder should contain files called: “thumbnail.jpg” and “screenshot.jpg”.

Editing existing texture set You may edit any data field for an existing skin set by following these steps:

1. Select an entry from the Aircraft list 2. Edit the desired data field (Aircraft Title, Texture folder name, Menu/variation name,

Description or visual damage flag. 3. Click “Save” (Save button will become enabled after making any change to existing data).



Adding a new Texture Set Adding a new texture set is an easy process with the Aircraft Control Panel. Some manual work is still required (unzipping and relocating files) but this has been kept to a bare minimum. To add a new texture, follow these simple steps:

1. Download your new texture set You can download texture sets from the Australian Simulation web site (http://www.aussim.com.au/piper) or from any number of flight simulation dedicated web sites on the internet.

2. Unzip your new texture set to a temporary location on your computers hard drive For example, unzip to C:\MyNewSkins\

3. Browse to this directory and copy the new texture.X folder into your flight simulator installation Using the previous example, browse to C:\MyNewSkins\ and select/copy the folder called “Texture.X” (where X= the name given to this skin by the developer). Now browse to your Flight Simulators aircraft folder (For FS2004 – Go to “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Aircraft\Australian Simulation Piper Warrior (II or III)\” For Flight Simulator X – Go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator X\SimObject\airplanes\Australian Simulation Piper Warrior (II or III)”) and paste the new Texture.X folder into this directory (Must reside in the Australian Simulation Piper Warrior II or III folder). NOTE: Default installation paths given in above examples. If you installed your Flight Simulator to a different path, please use the path appropriate to your installation.

4. Back in the Aircraft Control Panel/Textures screen, Click “ADD”

5. The aircraft list will go blank and the cursor will jump to the “Aircraft Title” field. Enter a unique name for your Aircraft. This name MUST be unique, entering an existing name will show an error when you save the new skin and prompt you to fix the duplicate entry.

6. Now select the “texture folder name” field. Enter the name of your texture folder AFTER THE DOT. For example, if the texture folder you copied into Flight Simulator is “Texture.ABC” then you would enter ABC into this field.

7. Variation/Menu Name: Enter an appropriate name for your new skin here. This will be the name given to your new skin in the Aircraft Selection menu within Flight Simulator.


http://www.aussim.com.au/piper


8. Description: Enter any descriptive text you wish, or copy the text provided in the readme.txt file that accompanied the texture download.

9. Check the visual damage option of your choice Selecting “Yes” will show parts falling off the aircraft and exploding splinters should you be unlucky enough to crash into something. Selecting “No” will force the simulator to not render visual damage, though you can still crash! ☺

10. Recheck your data entry and click the “Save” button. NOTE: You can cancel this process at any time by clicking the “Cancel” button. This button will only be enabled when you are adding a new aircraft. Your new aircraft will now be ready to use in Flight Simulator. It will also be the last entry in the Aircraft List. You can click on this entry and edit any of the data fields as described above. You can also view the thumbnail and screenshot of this skin set if one was provided with the download. Figure 1.7 – Changes saved dialogue box Duplicate Aircraft Names The Aircraft Control Panel will detect duplicate aircraft names and prompt you to fix the duplicate entry. It is important that all “Titles” be unique to ensure that all your skin sets are available in Flight Simulator. Figure 1.8 – Duplicación error dialogue box When a duplicate entry is found, you will see a dialogue box warning you of the detected error and the Aircraft List will be displayed in bold red font. The first duplicate detected will be automatically selected by the program, allowing you to directly edit this entry, or easily identify any subsequent duplicates. Follow the steps above for editing existing aircraft to correct the error.



Program Version and Updates Each screen you see in the Aircraft Control Panel displays the program version number in the top, left corner of the window.

Figure 2.0 – ACP Program Version Number You can check the Australian Simulation web site for program updates by clicking on the “Check for updates” link from the Home Screen within the ACP, or by following the links from the Australian Simulation web site. Check the advertised current program version on the web site against the one you have installed. If a newer version exists, you will be able to download and install it by following the instructions on the web site.

Getting Help You can get help with the Aircraft Control Panel or any other part of the Piper Warrior package either by reading the supplied documentation, visiting our support forums, or emailing [email protected] will endeavour to answer all queries directed to us in a timely manner, however, please allow for time zone differences.


mailto:[email protected]


Display issues If you experience display problems running the aircraft control panel such as misaligned images etc. please check your screen resolution settings. This program was designed to operate at the standard 96dpi (dots per inch). If your display is for some reason set to 125dpi or more, the application will not display correctly. To change your screen settings back to the standard 96dpi, follow the steps below.

• Click Start >> Control Panel >> Display • Click the “Settings” tab • Click the “Advanced” button • Select “Normal Size (96dpi)” from the DPI setting drop down list • Click OK.

The aircraft control panel will now operate as advertised.


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